Dario Albertini, born in Rome, directed his first full length film in 2013, the documentary SLOT Le intermittenti luci di Franco.

Albertini stated: Manuel was ideated after having filmed La Repubblica dei Ragazzi, a documentary telling the history of an institution founded after WWII to serve children with no families that evolved into a group home. Residents are forced to leave after turning 18, and I decided to focus on this aspect. Manuel finds himself suddenly catapulted into an unknown reality and is called upon to make important decisions without even realizing that he is no longer living in a protective bubble, but outside in the midst of the real world.